Ross McElwee reflects on the experience of recreating and the emotional, significant journey of crafting a testament to his son's life.
As intimate and impactful as a documentary can be, Ross McElwee has created a heartfelt tribute to his late son, Adrian, with Remake. Right from the start, we learn that Adrian died from a fentanyl overdose in 2016 at the age of 27, and McElwee skillfully combines footage taken over the years to illustrate the highs and lows of their relationship. This work is raw and emotional, sure to leave any parent heartbroken, yet McElwee also takes us through the journey of a company attempting to adapt Sherman’s March, alongside his own experiences with marriage and health. Remake stands as a significant achievement for the filmmaker and ranks among this year's finest documentaries.
Ahead of the release of a new 4K restoration of Sherman’s March on Friday, July 3, and Remake on the following Friday, July 10, I had the privilege of discussing the personal journey of making the film with McElwee, touching on contributions from Werner Herzog’s long-time editor Joe Bini, his approach to voiceover, the balance of being both a filmmaker and a father, revisiting Sherman’s March, and educating the next generation of filmmakers.
The Film Stage: Voiceover plays a critical role in your films, and I can't picture this one without it. What is your process for writing and revising the voiceover? Is it entirely scripted, or is there a spontaneous element that later gets written down?
Ross McElwee: The spontaneous part happens at the very start when I'm reviewing footage on an editing console, going through shot after shot. I begin to have an internal dialogue with the footage, and occasionally something comes to mind that could work for the voiceover, prompting me to pause and jot down notes. These notes can influence the final voiceover; sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.
The actual process of writing the voiceover to match the footage is significantly more time-consuming. I can’t pinpoint why it takes me so long to get it to my satisfaction. The transcript isn’t lengthy, and it’s quite straightforward, lacking complexity or sophistication. However, it takes me an extended period to compose the voiceover narration in a manner that resonates well with the footage.
Remake
You’ve mentioned, for Remake, enlisting an assistant editor to extract just frames of videos featuring Adrian to create some emotional distance from the deeply personal aspects of the film. How did that help you, and did that idea come to you right away?
Yes. After my son’s death, I struggled to even look at footage—even benign home-movie clips I had shot—let alone contemplate making a film. I wasn't even certain I wanted to create one. Honestly, it was too painful to see him, especially as a young child.
So for a while, I avoided watching the footage. I hired someone, a former assistant of mine, to go through all the films in which he appeared and select two or three stills of him. I attempted to write notes based on those, which helped break the ice, since they were not moving images. The still frames provided a degree of detachment that wasn't available with the footage, allowing me to gradually work toward being psychologically ready to revisit the footage. It was effective, and it was what I needed.
Early in the film, you acknowledge Adrian’s passing and mention that seven years have passed. This marks a shift in focus from unraveling a mystery to exploring the relationships you’re documenting. Can you speak about that structural decision? Was this your intention from the start?
Initially, I wanted a substantial section of the film to showcase his childhood without revealing that he was no longer alive. However, I realized that most viewers would likely be aware of that fact beforehand.
I experimented with that approach, and while it worked to some degree and made for a smoother entry into the film, I recognized, after showing it to filmmaker friends, that there was something a bit disingenuous in withholding such crucial information. So, I chose to move that information to the film’s beginning, where it has remained.
Understanding your style, I anticipated this would not be a PSA or a “message movie.” The emotional journey you provide is compelling, but I wonder if you considered including a broader look at the opioid crisis, akin to Laura Poitras's All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, then decided against it?
Yes, I contemplated that. I was aware that others had created impactful films on the opioid crisis—All the Beauty and the Bloodshed being a prime example, among many others. Numerous specials on HBO and other platforms have addressed this powerful subject matter.
Given that I was approaching this topic after others had addressed it so eloquently, I recognized that if I wanted to integrate the opioid crisis as a major theme, I needed to adopt a different perspective. I initially tried incorporating title cards at intervals in the film, commenting on my life as I discussed various topics, which would momentarily pull away
Ross McElwee reflects on the experience of recreating and the emotional, significant journey of crafting a testament to his son's life.
As intimate and significant as a documentary can get, Ross McElwee has created a heartfelt tribute to his deceased son, Adrian, with Remake. It is established at the outset that Adrian died from a fentanyl overdose in 2016 at the age of 27, and McElwee skillfully combines a tapestry of footage recorded over the years.